One of the key conservative charges against Crist is that his decision to back President Obama’s stimulus package was utterly bankrupt. Crist seemed more interested in currying favor with the state’s army of public sector workers than in keeping faith with conservative principles. And honestly, that’s exactly right. Crist is not a conservative. With his permanent tan and slick white mane, he’s more like a kinder, gentler Latin American caudillo, who wants nothing more than to be cheered on by adoring throngs. Crist would be right at home with Juan and Eva Peron, dancing the night away and promising free T-bone steaks to the impoverished masses. As governor, Crist has enjoyed tremendous popularity—he has Obama-like job approval numbers—and he’s done it by hardly ever making tough calls…

Spending has increased steadily throughout Crist’s tenure, yet he has managed to avoid raising taxes. Normally this is a feat that can only be pulled off during a boom, but Obama’s stimulus package gave this strategy, if you can call it that, a new lease on life. Backing the stimulus bill wasn’t just about high-fiving a popular president. It was a way to keep Florida’s Ponzi scheme going. But because the state’s economy is still sinking into the marshy deep from whence it came, economic pain is guaranteed to sandbag whoever serves as governor for the next four years. Crist, who loves to be loved, intends to make sure that it’s not him.